BLACKBURN ROVERS v CARDIFF CITY.
Saturday 25th September, ko 3:00pm
Joe Ralls is still out but City expect to have Ryan Giles back in the squad today.
Tony Mowbray: “If Sam (Gallagher) gets through the next day’s training then I’d expect him to be back in contention to play.
“He’ll be important against Cardiff to bring a physicality that we might need.
“I think I read that Cardiff have scored 10 of their 11 goals through headers, so it’s important because he’s a physical presence in both boxes.
“It will be a welcome addition to the group if he makes it.
Mick McCarthy: “It's another tough one. There are no easy ones in the Championship.
"Tony has got a good side there and plays good football and gets good loans.
"They had (Adam) Armstrong last year and now they’ve lost him, but they’ve got a team that shares it around.
"(Ben) Brereton-Diaz has come to the fore as well. They all know what they are doing. If they can keep getting the goals they will have a chance around the play-offs.
"We are early in the season now but they have had a good start.
"We started reasonably well but there’s three defeats in four, that can’t be described as doing well.
"We need to get a win under our belts."
Match facts
- Seven of the last 10 league meetings between Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City have ended as draws, including both matches last season.
- The last five league meetings between Blackburn and Cardiff at Ewood Park have ended as a draw, with the last two ending goalless.
- Blackburn have won five of their last seven home league matches (D1 L1), as many victories as in their previous 19 games at Ewood Park beforehand.
- Cardiff are yet to score a single Championship goal in the opening 45 minutes this season, with the earliest of their 11 goals coming in the 52nd minute. Indeed, their first eight league goals this season were all headers, which is still currently double that of any other side so far.
- Mick McCarthy has lost eight of his last 10 away league games against Blackburn Rovers (W1 D1), with his only win coming in August 2011 in the Premier League with Wolves.
Match Officials:
Referee: KEITH STROUD
Assistants: Philip Dermott and Sam Lewis
Fourth Official : Ross Joyce